AMC White Mountain Guide: Hiking Trails in the White Mountain National Forest [With 3 Fold Out Full Color Maps of the White Mtns.]

MUST NEED IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON HIKING IN NH. I HAVE AN OLDER ONE WHICH IS JUST AS GOOD AS THIS ONE.

If you are serious at all about hiking in the White Mountains of New England, then this is a "must have." It literally is the Bible of hiking in the whites. I cannot believe the monumental effort that it took to compile this guide. I have several other hiking guides to the area, and each has its own approach, but they cover a limited number of hiking trails. The AMC Guide is "the reference standard" and I believe comes very close to addressing all the hundreds of trails that exist in the Whites with the only exception being some of trails in the Randolph Mountain Club on the north slope of the Presidentials. In the a pocket in the back cover are 6 topographic maps, covering the White Mountains with all the trails shown. If you are a hiking enthusiast and a map-hound like me, don't even open this until you have a 3-day weekend!

This is by far the 'hiking bible'. Every trail you can think of in this jampacked 500+ page book with 4 maps is here! Little hikes to backpacking hikes for days and days...its all here. The details are rich and very accurate. The levels of difficulty I found very on the mark. I used this book to plan my first hike up Mt. Washington via, Tuckerman Ravine and it was invaluable. It was very accurate and when I reached the top, I felt if I hadn't had this book, I never would've tried this scenic and challenging trail. I would've missed out and taken the less interesting Jewell Trail! We went back and did it again a month later using this book and took the Ammonoosuc Trail and my goodness...was I glad we did. The scenery was breathtaking... We've done probably about 50 or so trails from this book so far and they were ALL very detailed and informative, with info on difficulty which I like very much. The book gives alternate trails to the same places and where the AMC huts are and shelter. Mileages and information on dangerous spots. Even whether to try it in slippery conditions. Don't hike without it! Tracy Talley~@

Whether you're planning a backpacking trip through the Presidentials or a series of family oriented dayhikes, this book is a neccessity. I just returned from a week long camping trip in the White Mountains and this book never left my side. It includes 100's of detailed trail descriptions as well as suggested hikes for different abilities and the maps for each region. In addition, the introduction includes some very useful information about the park.One problem I had with this book is that the difficulty of the trails is sometimes understated. This is not really the books fault as difficulty ratings are very subjective. I would highly recommend looking at the maps in conjunction with the trail descriptions to understand the elevation changes. I'm from Maryland and did not fully understand what a 4000 ft. elevation change in 4 miles meant until I got up there (it's not fun and could be dangerous to someone not in good shape). I cannot stress enough that if this book says something is difficult or dangerous, it most certainly is. It might be prudent to talk to a ranger about a certain trail if you are unsure BEFORE you attempt it.One other fault with the book is that it does not tell you which parking areas require a pass. The best advice for this is to just spend the 5 dollars on the week long pass to avoid the 100 dollar fine.

Anyone who has been hiking the White Mountains of New England since the 1970s, is likely to have kept their orange hardcover AMC "White Mounain Guide," like a family heirloom. Since its inception, the Guide has provided detailed, largely editorial-free, descriptions of all the many trails of the white mountains. For novice hikers, it is absoulutely indispensable for its advice on practical hiking pleasures and perils - it should not leave the pack. For experienced hikers, the Guide provides all information needed to plan White Mountain excursions ranging from half-day beginner hikes to multi-day backpacks. The trail descriptions should be viewed as overviews, not all-telling. At times, a trail seemingly modest from the book description, will be rocky and arduously steep. Other times, an innocuous-sounding trial will provide breathtaking views. Some curse this as a short-coming, while others, this reviewer included, appreciate the fact that reading the book does not diminish the surprises of the trail. The directions to the trailheads are remarkably accurate, as are the essential descriptions of major trail junctions, as well as trails and peaks on which extra care should be taken. The maps, while not minute topographical maps, are extremely useful, more so with compass skills, but quite practical even without them. The organization is improved over the 26th version - especially the recommended easy and moderate hikes at the end of each mountain region's trail descriptions. Worthwhile to complete one's White Mountain hiking library, are the AMC Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide and AMC Maine Mountain Guide.